Stretch wig and cap construction therefor



y 1970 L. L. CAPPARELLI ETAL 3,521,643

STRETCH WIG AND CAP CONSTRUCTION THEREFOR Filed Nov. 5, 1967 M/Vf/VTORSLU/G/ L. CAPP/l/PELL/ fAA isr L. (Av/#1544 United States Patent US. Cl.132-53 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A wig including a captherefor which includes a plurality of sections interwoven from strandsof elastic material so knit as to provide various degrees of tightnessin accordance with the functions that the various sections will performwhen the cap is eventually worn on the head.

This invention relates to wigs and more Particularly relates toimprovements in the cap construction therefor.

In recent years, the wig industry has experienced a tremendous boom. Notonly do people use wigs when they have lost their hair, but to a greaterdegree, wigs are being used by both men and women almost to the extentof a piece of clothing or apparel, the color and styling of which can bevaried with the whims of the user. However, people still have a greataversion to wearing wigs which present an unnatural appearance. Thus, awig which presents an unnatural hairline, in the sense that either thecrown portion or rear neck portion is artifically perfect or whereineither the crown portion and/or the rear neck portion fails to conformto the contour of the wearers head (i.e. separates therefrom), isconsidered unnatural and undesirable.

As appreciated by those skilled in the art, many of the above notedproblems are inherently related to the construction of the underlyingcap to which the hair, whether it be human or artificially produced, issecured, Thus the industry has long felt the need for a cap constructionand wig constructed therefrom which would most accurately simulate thehuman hairlines, both at the critical crown portion and at the rear neckline.

Simultaneously, and somewhat of a conflicting requirement, is the desireby wig manufacturers that a single wig be capable of fitting a varietyof different sized wearers. In this manner the necessity of individuallyproducing a wig for a particular buyer is avoided, and consequently thecost reducing methods of mass production can be employed. Therequirement that a wi g be adaptable to various sized heads isconflicting to the requirement that the wig realistically simulate humanhairlines in the sense that the obvious method of enlarging the spectrumof users is to construct the cap of the wig of an elastic material.However, when selecting an elasticity for the cap which will accommodatea relatively large head it is inherent that if the wig eventually endsup for the head of a smaller sized person, then a certain degree oflooseness and separation cannot be avoided, especially at the crown andneck portions of the head.

Accordingly the wig industry has been confronted with a problemheretofore throught unsolvable because of diametrically opposedrequirements of providing a wig capable of use on various sized heads;while at the same time, and regardless of size of the head of theeventual purchaser, will always stick closely to'the human contour toeliminate the artificial look prevalent in the prior art.

The instant invention has solved the above noted problem by providing awig cap which is comprised of a plurality of sections of graduatedelasticity dependent upon the various functions the sections are toperform.

ice

Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the novel cap of the instant inventionincludes a rather large central portion which conforms generally to theshape of the human head. This central portion is constructed of aplurality of strands of elastic material loosely knit or interwoven todefine relatively large interstitial areas between the threads thereof.In this manner the relatively large central portion of the cap issufficiently elastic to accommodate various sized heads. However, sincethe relatively large central portion of the cap and the hair securedthereto is covering only the central portion of the head and does notdefine either the crown or rear hairlines, the problems of appearancewhich would normally stem from the looseness of an elastic cap, whenworn on a small head, are avoided.

Further in accordance with the instant invention, a crown portion of thecap is joined to the central portion, with such crown portion consistingof a much tighter interwoven knit of strands of silk mesh materialdefining relatively smaller interstitial areas. The crown portion isheld against the forehead of the wearer by an elastic band whichcircumvents the rear of the central portion of the cap. In this manner,although general elasticity of the cap has been provided by therelatively elastic central portion, the relatively tighter knit crownportion of the cap will always stick closely and conform to the crown orforehead portion of the wearer thereby avoiding the relatively loose,separated look of crown hairlines of wigs of the prior art.

As a further feature of the instant invention, the graduated nature ofthe interstices formed in the central and crown portions of the cap ofthe instant invention lends itself to the natural concentration of hairon the human As a further feature 'of the instant invention there isprovided an intermediate portion joining the aforementioned crownportion and central portion with the intermediate portion consisting ofinterwoven strands of the elastic material knit with a tightnessintermediate that of the crown portion and the central portion such asto provide a relatively smooth transition between the two extremes.

Finally, to assure a natural-looking rear neckline, the aforementionedelastic band closely adheres to the rear contour of the human head.Furthermore, and in accordance with the instant invention, a pluralityof hairs are secured to the inner surface of such band such that theband itself maintains such plurality of hairs closely in contact withthe rear or neck portion of the human head thereby creating theappearance that the hairs are growing out of the scalp. Additionally,and as a preferred embodiment, such plurality of hairs are located atvarious positions between the side edges of such cap to more accuratelysimulate the irregular human hairline at the neck portion of the head.

In an alternative embodiment of the instant invention, the centralportion of the wig cap is formed in a plurality of wedge-shaped sectionswhich are sewn together along their abutting edges. In this manner theunsightly and bulky gathering which occassionally results when utilizinga one-piece central portion can be easily eliminated.

Accordingly, it is an object of the instant invention to provide a wigcap which is capable of accommodating various sized wearers while at thesame time will adequately maintain critical portions thereof in closeconformance with the contour of the human head.

Another object of the instant invention is to provide such a wig capwhich is comprised of a plurality of sections interwoven in graduateddegrees of tightness in accordance with the functions such sectionsperform within the wig.

Still another object of the instant invention is to provide such a wigcap which includes a relatively loosely knit central portion closelyconforming to the general shape of the human head which central portion,because of the knitting thereof, is inherently capable of stretching toaccommodate various wearers, and a crown portion more tightly knit thanthe aforementioned central portion such as to guarantee the closeadherence of the crown portion of the cap to the crown of the wearerthereby eliminating unsightly artificial looking hairlines prevalent inthe wig construction of the prior art.

Another object of the instant invention is to provide such a wig capwhich includes an elastic band along an arcuate portion of theaforementioned central portion, which band performs a dual function inthat (1) it provides a natural-looking rear neckline while (2) at thesame time aids in maintaining the aforementioned crown portion in closecontact with the forehead of the wearer.

Yet another object of the instant invention is to provide such a wig capconstruction which includes an intermediate portion joining theaforementioned crown and central portions with such intermediate portionconsisting of an interwove mesh of elastic strands knit at a tightnessintermediate the tightness of the crown and central portion such as toprovide a smooth transition therebetween.

Still another object of the instant invention is to provide such a wigcap wherein hair is secured to the inner surface of the band thereofsuch that it appears that such hair emanates from the scalp of thewearer.

Yet another object of the instant invention is to provide such a wig capwherein hairs secured to the inner surface of the band thereof arelocated at various positions along the width of the cap to moreaccurately simulate the irregular human hairline.

Still another object of the instant invention is to provide such a wigcap which includes a central portion com prised of a plurality ofwedge-like sections which eliminates unsightly gatherings prevalent inthe prior art.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the instant invention may behad by referring to the following description and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a wig cap of the instant invention worn on the human head;

FIG. 2 shows the wig cap of the instant invention viewed from theundersurface thereof;

FIG. 3 represents an alternative embodiment of the wig cap of theinstant invention; and

FIG. 4 represents an alternative embodiment of the wig cap of theinstant invention.

Referring specifically to FIG. 1, there is shown a wig cap of theinstant invention being worn by a human 12, preferably shown as a woman.However, it is to be understood that the instant invention is equallyapplicable to wigs for men and that the schematic representation 14 of awomans hair-do is for lpurposes of illustration only.

For ease of identification, the cap 10 of FIG. 1 may be said to includethree distinct sections, identified as a relatively large centralportion 16 which conforms generally to the shape of the head 12; a crownportion 18 intended to tfit over the forehead or crown portion of thehead 12; and an intermediate portion 20 joining the crown portion 18 andthe central portion 16. Additionally, a band of elastic material 22 issecured along an arcuate portion of the periphery of the central portion16.

In its preferred construction, the crown portion 18 is woven of a silkmesh, while the remainder of the cap 10,

4 with the exception of the elastic band 20, is formed by interweavingor knitting strands of elastic material such as nylon or other materialhaving the requisite elasticity. Such strands are schematicallyillustrated at 24, interwoven to form a knit or mesh structure havinginterstitial areas or spaces 26 therein. It will be appreciated that theshowing of an interwoven or knit fabric at 24, 26 in the central portion16 of the cap 10 is for the purpose of illustration only and in no waylimits the type of knitting which might be utilized in the practice ofthe instant invention. Similarly, it is to be understood that althoughthe illustrated knit section is shown only in the central portion 16, asimilar interwoven knit or mesh structure would form the crown portion18 and the intermediate portion 20, the only difference therebetweenbeing explained immediately below with respect to FIG. 2.

Thus, and in accordance with the instant invention, the portions 16, 18and 20 have a graduated degree of elasticity so chosen to performvarious functions when the cap and wig defined thereon are eventuallysituated on the head such as 12. Specifically, the central and majorsurface area portion 16 of the cap 10 is so interwoven with the strands24 of elastic material as to provide a relatively loose mesh fabric;that is, the interstitial areas 26 of the portion 16 are relativelylarge compared to the crown portion 18 and the intermediate portion 20.Because of this relatively loose knitting, the central portion 16 willhave an inherently greater degree of elasticity or stretchability thanthe intermediate portion 20. Thus the central portion 16 will be capableof stretching to fit various sized heads such that each purchaser doesnot have to be individually measured and a cap custom manufacturedtherefor. To the contrary, because of the inherent elastic nature of thecentral portion 16, caps constructed in accordance with the instantinvention may be mass produced at substantial savings for a wide rangeof head sizes.

It may be appreciated that no portion of the periphery, indicated at 28in FIG. 1, of the central portion 16 represents an extremity of the cap10. That is, it is the band 22 and the crown portion 18 which terminateat the rear or neck portion 30 and the temple or forehead 32 of thewearer, respectively, to define the critical hairline at these points.Therefore, it will be appreciated that even in that extreme situationwhere the eventual purchaser of a wig, employing the wig cap- 10, haswhat may be said to be the smallest head within the range that the cap10 is designed for, the somewhat inherent and unavoidable looseness ofthe central portion 16 in that situation would not be objectionablesince there would be no point on either the neck or the forehead of thewearer at which this looseness and consequential separation could bevisually observed.

However, and in further accordance with the teachings of the instantinvention, the crown portion 18 of the cap 10 is tightly interwoven fromstrands of a silk mesh material or its equivalent. Thus, and asschematically illustrated in FIG. 2, the interstitial areas 34 whichresult in the crown portion 18 are significantly smaller than theinterstitial areas 26 of the central portion 16. These smallinterstitial areas together with the inelastic nature of silk mesh makethe crown portion 18 inelastic relative to the central portion 16. Theelastic band 22, joined to the extremities of the crown portion, helpskeep the crown portion 18 tightly fitting on the forehead. Therefore,regardless of the head size of the eventual purchaser, the crown portion18, being relatively inelastic, will closely conform to and adhere tothe forehead or temple portion 32 of the wearer. In this manner therewill be no unsightly separation occurring at the junction of the crownportion 18 and the forehead 32.

Finally, the intermediate portion 20 is interwoven at a tightnesssomewhere intermediate the degrees to which crown portion 18 and centralportion 16 were knit, such that, as illustrated in FIG. 2, theinterstitial spaces 35 thereof are of an intermediate size relative tothe extremes presented by the crown portion 18 and central portion 16.The main purpose of the intermediate portion 20 is to provide the smoothtransition between the relatively tightly knit inelastic crown portion18 and the relatively loosely knit central portion 16 such that therewill be no visible demarcation therebetween. In this respect it may benoted that bound edges, such as 36, delineate the various sections andthat in the manufacturing process preferably the individual sectionssuch as 16, 18 and 20 are individually formed and sewn together alongsuch bound edges.

Turning now to the securement of hair to the cap 10, it may be initiallypointed out that the instant invention contemplates that either naturalhair strands or synthetic monofilaments, such as for Dynel, may besecured by any appropriate method to the cap 10. However, and as will beexplained immediately below, the graduated nature of the weaving of thevarious portions of the cap of the instant invention readily lendsitself to pecular concentrations of hair which most accurately simulatethe human head. Thus most people wear their hair long in the front andallow it to flow toward the rear. Accordingly a relatively denseconcentration of hair, either human or artificial, schematicallyillustrated at 40, is secured to the crown portion 18 and is allowed toflow toward the rear to conceal the larger interstitial areas 26.

Finally, turning to the band 22 it is noted that the relatively tightelastic material and hair secured thereto will adhere closely to thecontour of the rear or neck portion of the human head thereby avoidingthe unsightly separated rear hairline prevalent in wigs of the priorart. (As already noted, the band 22 aids in maintaining the crownportion 18 on the forehead.) Furthermore, and in accordance with theinstant invention, and as most clearly seen in FIG. 2, a plurality ofhairs 44 are secured to the band 22 on the inner surface thereof suchthat the band itself will maintain the hair 44 against the neck of thehuman wearing the wig. This gives the effect that the hair 44 actuallyemanates from the scalp of the human rather than from a wig, therebymaking the rear hairline even more natural looking. Furthermore, bylocating the hair 44 at various positions along the width of the band22, that is at various positions between the side edges 46 and 48, therelatively irregular neck hairline of a human being is most accuratelysimulated.

Also shown in FIG. 2 is the manner in which hairs 44' may be secured tothe leading edge and undersurface of the crown portion 18 to give theimpression that the hair emanates from the scalp at the forward end ofthe wig.

Turning to FIG. 3 there is shown an alternative embodiment of theinstant invention in which the cap includes a one-piece member 16interwoven from strands of elastic material in approximately the samedegree of tightness as the section 16 of FIG. 1. In this manner theinterstitial areas 26' are relatively large and thereby inherentlyprovide a stretchable cap capable of being worn by persons with varioussized heads. However, in order to maintain the peripheral portions ofthe cap in close conformity with the human head, especially at thecritical forehead and neck portions 32 and 30, respectively, shown inFIG. 1, an elastic band 22' is provided. The band 22' may be an elastictape in nature or, if desired, interwoven in the manner similar tosection 16', but with a much greater degree of tightness. Furthermore,and in accordance with the instant invention, the plurality of hairs 44"are secured to the inner surface 45 thereof, thereby giving theimpresion that the hair 44" originates in the human scalp rather than ona wig. Finally the hairs 44" are variously positioned between the edges46' and 48 of the band 22' in order to simulate the irregular hairlineof the human being where the scalp joins the neck. Additionally, hairsuch as 44' of FIG. 2 may be secured to the inner surface of the band22' at its forward end to simulate a more natural look on the crown ofthe wearer.

Turning to FIG. 4, there is shown an alternative embodiment of the wigcap of the instant invention wherein the central oprtion such as 16 ofFIG. 1 is formed of a plurality of wedge-shaped sections 48, sewntogether along their common edges 50. By utilizing a plurality of suchsections 48, the gathering of material 52, which sometimes occurs at thejuncture of the central portion 16 and the segment 18 and 22,respectively, can be simply and easily eliminated. Furthermore, FIG. 4also illustrates the utilization of hair 44 sewn along the insidesurfaces of the crown portion 18 and the band 22. As indicatedpreviously, the portions 18 and 22 continually press such hair as 44against the scalp and give the outward appearance that the hairs areeminating from the scalp.

Thus there has been described a cap and wig construction built thereuponwhich has a plurality of sections, of various degrees of elasticitydependent upon the function that the various sections will perform whenthe wig is eventually worn. By way of the instant invention, astretchable cap capable of being worn by purchasers with different sizedheads is provided while at the same time unsightly artificial lookinghairlines which are prevalent in the prior art are avoided. Althoughspecific embodiments of the instant invention have been shown, it is tobe understood that various modifications are possible within the scopeof the instant invention. Thus, although the utilization of anintermediate portion 20 is particularly useful from the point of view ofproviding a smooth transition between the crown portion 18 and centralportion 16, such intermediate portion 20 might be eliminated if desired.Similarly, although the cap of the instant invention has been shown ascomprising a plurality of discrete sections, preferably manufacturedindividually and sewn together, it is to be understood that the instantinvention could be practiced by knitting the entire cap in one step, itbeing required only that the various gradations of knitting be carefullycontrolled such as to end up with a cap that has distinct sectionsperforming the various functions which have been outlined above.Similarly, the band 22 may 'be either of the elastic tape type materialshown or, if desired, could be an interwoven mesh knit extremely tight.Therefore, the instant invention is not to be limited by the specificdisclosure but only by the claims appended hereto.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive privilege orproperty is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In a wig for a human being, incorporating a cap to which a pluralityof hairs are secured and which is adapted to closely conform to thecontour of the human head without discomfort to the wearer, theimprovement comprising providing such cap of a first elastic stretchfabric capable of stretching to conform to and fit various size heads,and a second, relatively tighter elastic stretch fabric secured to saidfirst fabric along its entire rear periphery and defining a wide elasticedge band, said elastic band holding the cap against the forehead of thewearer to provide a front hairline and additionally defining a rearportion which adheres closely to the rear neck portion of the wearershead, thereby retaining the cap in place without slippage or discomfort,and

wherein a number of individual hairs are secured to said second,relatively tighter elastic stretch fabric at different pointsintermediate the inner and outer edges of the band defined thereby, withthe hairs being secured to the portion of said band which is in closejuxtaposition to the rear neck portion of the wearers head to define arear hairline accurately simulating that of the wearer.

2. The improvement as defined in claim 1 wherein the hairs secured tothe portions of said band are secured on the inner surface thereof suchthat said band maintains the individual hairs against the rear neckportion of the wearer to present the effect that the hairs actuallyemanate from the scalp of the wearer rather than from a wig.

3. The improvement as defined in claim 2 wherein said first elasticstretch fabric includes a central portion generally shaped to conform tothe human head and consisting of loosely knit interwoven strands ofelastic material defining relatively large interstitial spaces therein,and wherein said first elastic stretch fabric also includes a crownportion joined to said central portion and with said crown portionconsisting. of relatively tighter knit interwoven strands of materialdefining smaller interstitial spaces relative to the interstitial spacesof said central portion.

4. The improvement as defined in claim 3 wherein said second, relativelytighter elastic stretch fabric is secured to said first fabric along anarcuate portion of the periphery of said central portion to define therear portion of the cap which adheres closely to the rear neck portionof the wearers head.

5. The improvement as defined in claim 4 wherein said first, elasticstretch fabric further includes an intermediate portion joining saidcentral portion and said crown portion, with said intermediate portionconsisting of interwoven strands of elastic material more tightly knitthan said central portion and less tightly knit than said crown portionto define interstitial areas small er than the interstitial areas ofsaid central portion and larger than the interstitial areas of saidcrown portion.

6.'The improvement as defined in claim 5, wherein the ends of said bankdefined by said second, relatively tighter elastic stretch fabric aresecured to the crown portion of-said first, elastic stretch fabric tomaintain said crown portion in intimate contact with the wearers head.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,545,881 7/1925 Cohen 132-542,233,100 2/1941 Jevhikar l3253 2,438,005 3/1948 Goldman 132-533,046,999 7/1962 Lint 132-54 3,077,891 2/1963 Lane 1325 LOUIS G.MANCENE, Primary Examiner G. E. McNEILL, Assistant Examiner

